Sadie's Baby
by Lazhuli
Summary: Sadie Miller finds herself pregnant with her sometimes-boyfriend Lars's baby. She struggles with the realities of the situation and the reactions of those around her.
1. Chapter 1

Barb Miller kicked the front door shut behind her, yawning. It was nearly midnight, much later than she normally stayed out on a weeknight, but who could say no to poker with Vidalia and Greg? They were hilarious! And the only friends she had who could match her competitive spirit.

"Mom." Barb jumped, looking to the darkened kitchen, where her daughter sat in the shadows.

"Sadie!" She flipped on the lights. "What are you doing up? I thought you had to open…."

"Mom." Sadie's voice cracked on the word. Barb noticed now that her daughter's eyes were red and puffy, she'd been crying.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" She asked softly, walking around the island to hug her daughter.

"I'm in so much trouble, mom." Sadie told her, voice wavering dangerously.

"Sadie? Is it work? Did something happen?" Her daughter was normally calm and level-headed, this was unusual and it scared Barb to the core.

"I'm so sorry. I thought…we weren't reckless." Sadie rambled, staring down at her hands. Barb followed her daughter's gaze down to the piece of plastic in her hands. Sadie turned it so that her mom could see the bright pink plus displayed on it.

"God, Sadie!" Barb took a few steps back in shock.

"We were so careful, we never took risks." Sadie said, as much to herself as her mother. She let out a sudden, broken sob.

"Oh honey." Barb sighed, stepping forward to hold her little girl.

"Mommy, I'm scared." Sadie whimpered.

"It's alright, you're going to be okay." Barb rubbed her back soothingly. She let out a shaky breath before asking the question, "It's his, isn't it?"

"I love him." Sadie sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

"Does he know?"

"No."

"You have to talk to him. As soon as you can." She urged her daughter.

"I…I can't…he'll be so upset…he doesn't…he doesn't…" Sadie cried into her mother's shoulder, practically hysterical.

"He doesn't what baby?" Barb asked gently, smoothing her daughter's blonde locks.

"He doesn't love me."

"Baby…"

"It's true!" Sadie shouted. "He doesn't care about me, he's not going to care about….the baby." Her voice stumbled and caught on the words, _the baby_. Barb felt her chest tighten, the room spinning a little. Her little girl was pregnant, her nineteen-year old little girl fresh from high school, was pregnant.

"He at least deserves the chance to do the right thing." Barb reasoned. She definitely didn't want Sadie to make the same mistakes she had.

"I can't."

"Baby, you have to." Barb told her. Sadie responded by sobbing even harder. "Sweetie, came on, take a breath. Why don't you lay down?" Sadie nodded in agreement.

Barb put an arm around her daughter's shoulders, gently leading her down the stairs to her bedroom. The teen crawled into bed, hiding her face in the pillow. Barb gently rubbed her back, letting her cry. She knew this feeling, a sensation of fear and dread mingling in your stomach, a tight lump in your chest that wouldn't go away. She'd been there, and she'd prayed that her daughter never would. The universe obviously had other plans.


	2. Chapter 2

Sadie wiped her sweaty palms on her black work pants before entering through the back door of The Big Donut. As usual, Lars hadn't arrived yet. She really didn't know why she was so nervous, it wasn't as if he'd be able to tell, she didn't look any different from yesterday. But, now she knew….she knew and he didn't and that would be all that was on her mind today.

"Hey Sade." Lars walked through the door with a yawn and Sadie suddenly began to tremble. She wasn't ready to face him yet, she'd assumed there would be more time for her to mentally prepare before he got here. Her face was flushing, was it obvious? She couldn't do this right now, not when her emotions were still so fresh and raw. Her stomach suddenly revolted violently, she ran to the break room trash can just in time to expel her breakfast.

"Woah! Sadie." Lars jumped. He hurried over to her, holding back her hair as she retched. "Do you have a stomach flu or something?"

"No…I'm just…I must've ate something funny." She stood up, swaying a little.

"Are you sure?" Lars cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "Cuz you look terrible."

"Thanks." She sneered.

"No seriously, you're all pale and shaky. Are you sure you aren't sick?" He asked.

"I'm fine!" She insisted. She had to be, because they were not having the conversation right now, she wasn't ready for it yet. "We need to open."

"You shouldn't be here if you're throwing up." He eyed her suspiciously. "It's unsanitary."

"I'm okay now." Sadie told him, even though she was still feeling dangerously queasy.

"Sade, let me take you home." Lars insisted.

"No!" She cried. She just wanted to open the stupid shop and sell donuts and go home. It wasn't that much to ask.

"You don't have to get pissy." Lars put his hands up defensively.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. "Just open okay? I'm going to clean up and then I'll be out."

"Okay." He agreed hesitantly. Lars still wasn't sure she was up to being here but, if she said she was okay, then he'd let it slide.

They worked in silence that day, communicating only when necessary. Sadie out of fear that she would break down if she spoke to much and Lars because he thought she was angry with him. He didn't know what he'd done to upset her but clearly, something had happened. She refused to meet his eyes, her gaze fixed firmly on the store's front door. When they closed he was surprised to receive a shy invitation back to her place.

He began to regret accepting when they got halfway back to the Miller house without Sadie saying a single word.

"Hey sweetheart." Barb called when they came in the front door.

"Hi mom." Sadie finally broke her silence. "Lars is here." Barb appeared around the corner from the living room very suddenly.

"Oh, hi Lars, how are you?" Her tone was all wrong, not Barb's typical abrasive joviality. She was muted today, just like her daughter.

"I'm fine." He shrugged, officially freaked out by the whole situation. Was something wrong? Maybe Sadie was sick, like, really sick. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought.

"We're going to go downstairs." Sadie told Barb, a knowing look passed between the duo before Lars was pulled out of the entryway down to the basement, where Sadie's room was.

"So, did you ever watch that new extended cut of "House of Horrors"?" Lars tried to make small talk, browsing Sadie's DVD collection.

"No." Sadie sat down hard on the edge of her bed. Lars paced the room, pretending to examine various knick-knacks and books.

"Ugh, you still have your high school physics book? I plan on burning mine."

"Lars…"

"Ehh, you know I won't really burn it. Definitely throw it away though." He muttered.

"That's not what I…"

"Just six more months and then I'm out of there." He grinned.

"I have to tell you…."

"And then I'm out of _here_ , forget this city."

"Lars, I seriously need you to listen…."

"Maybe move to Empire City…or go up the coast and…."

"Lars, I'm pregnant."

Ice slid down his back and into his veins. He turned to see Sadie sitting perfectly still on the edge of her bed. She was so pale, Lars was pretty sure he looked the same.

"You're sure?" He asked in a strained whisper. She nodded slowly, tears slipping down her cheeks. "God." He ran a hand through his dark red curls. "Oh my God."

"Lars, I…"

"How?" He cut in. "We always used protection."

"It has a fail rate." Sadie shrugged.

"I thought you were on the pill?" Lars shouted.

"I am!" Sadie stood up, getting a little defensive.

"Then how, between condoms and pills, did you get pregnant?" Lars argued.

"I don't know!" Sadie threw her hands up. "God, I don't…I don't have any idea how this happened."

"Sadie, are you sure…" Lars's heart was pounding out of his chest. "Are you sure that it's mine?"

"Of course it's yours, you dumbass!" Sadie raged. "Who else's would it be?"

"I don't know, Sade!" Lars sat down hard in her desk chair. "What are we gonna do? I mean, are we even together?"

"I dunnno." Sadie sniffed, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Do you want to be together?"

"Do I have a choice?" Lars sighed.

"Yes!" Sadie protested. "We can't be together just because of this."

"This? This is a baby!" Lars countered. "That's a pretty convincing because!"

"I know…but I don't want you to tell me you want to be with me because I'm pregnant. I want you to want _me_." Sadie admitted, wiping away a few tears.

"Sadie, I…" Lars searched for words that didn't sound hollow. "I need some time to process this." The blonde nodded in agreement, that was reasonable, even if it stung. "I'll call you tomorrow." He backed towards the door.

"Okay." She said in a voice that barely reached a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

Lars ran up the steps two at a time, eager to escape what suddenly felt cramped and dungeon like. He hurried out of the house without so much as a word to Barb, who, in retrospect, had shown a great deal of restraint in wanting to castrate him. Considering she was the guy who'd knocked up her only daughter.

"She's pregnant. Sadie is pregnant." He tested the words, trying to make it seem more real and less like a terrible dream.

"I'm dead! I'm dead, I'm absolutely dead." Lars clawed at his chest as panic rose up in it, making his breathing laborious and shallow. He walked through the suburban neighborhood, it was just after sunset and the street was bathed in the soft yellow light of street lamps. Occasionally he would pass through a bright spot, caused by someone's TV set showing through the front window.

He wandered idly, wanting to go anywhere but home for a little while. Lars had said he needed time to process, the truth was he didn't even know where to begin. He was in high school, he was only kind-of in a relationship with Sadie, and he had fathered a baby.

"Fuck, you really screwed yourself this time." He muttered to himself, jamming his hands in his pockets. "What are you going to tell your parents?" They were not going to take this well, hell, Lars didn't even know how he was taking it.

Was he excited about the baby? Circumstances aside, he wasn't exactly a fan of children. Being an only child with no cousins he wasn't really used to being around them. Had he ever held a baby? Probably not, if he had he couldn't remember it.

"I'm going to be a dad." The words sounded far away and foreign, like someone else's voice was coming out of his mouth. "Shit." He sat down hard on the curb.

"It's okay sweetheart." Barb poured two mugs of hot chocolate as her daughter nervously paced.

"I mean he _actually_ asked me if it could be somebody else's baby." Sadie threw one of the couch throw pillows across the room.

"Could it?" Barb asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"No!" Her daughter shouted, angry with the very suggestion. "What am I, a whore? Everybody just thinks I'm running around fucking…"

"Nobody thinks that." Barb put her hands up in surrender. "I just wanted to check."

"I told you it was his." Sadie protested, not satisfied with her mother's apology.

Barb sighed. "It was a stupid question honey. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know." Sadie wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

"He'll be back." Barb assured her daughter.

"How can you know that?" Sadie began pacing again. "What if he hates me?"

"Lars is…a little rough around the edges. But, he's a good person, you know that." Barb reasoned. "If you didn't you wouldn't be with him."

"I'm not even with him now." Sadie pointed out. "I'm not anything to him, I'm so stupid!" She threw another pillow, knocking a couple pictures off the wall.

"You're not stupid." Barb sighed.

"Are you sure? Because in case you forgot, I'm knocked up." Sadie drew in a shaky breath. "I'm knocked up by a guy who thinks I'm just a fun fuck buddy."

"Hey!" Barb cut in angrily. "Don't talk about yourself like that. You're not stupid and you didn't do anything wrong. You're both adults."

"One of whom, happens to be a high school student." Sadie countered.

"An eighteen year old high school student, nineteen pretty soon, right?" Barb pointed out.

"Yeah." A little bit of the fire went out from Sadie's eyes. Barb smiled wearily and took the two mugs of hot chocolate in hand.

"Come on baby, sit down." Barb handed one mug to her daughter, attempting to lure her to the couch.

"What if…"

"Stop that." Barb snapped, causing Sadie to jump a little. "Just stop! Come over here and sit down." She ordered. Sadie complied, setting her mug on the coffee table.

"Mom, I'm just…." Sadie began.

"Worried, hurt, scared, about a thousand other things. I know that." Barb told her. "But just for tonight, hang out with your momma and watch a movie. For me, please?" Barb begged, suddenly anxious to spend all the quality time with her daughter as she could get.

"Okay." It was a muted agreement, an indulgence. Barb knew that. For tonight that was enough.


	4. Chapter 4

"I feel so naïve." Barb complained, sipping her tea. "I mean, it didn't even occur to me that they were having sex."

"Well, they're not exactly dating." Vidalia reasoned, shuffling a deck of card.

"You can't beat yourself up about it." Greg agreed. "If she didn't tell you then how you could know?"

"I don't know! She's my daughter, I should've figured it out. We were always so close!" Barb shook her head.

"What would knowing have done?" Greg countered.

"Maybe I could've…cautioned them." Barb shrugged. "She said they were always careful but…they must've slipped."

"How do you figure?" Vidalia asked, dealing out a game of five card draw.

"The doctor put her on the pill years ago, for pain you know? Maybe they thought that was enough? Maybe she was lazy with them, I don't know!" Barb scooped up her hand, eyeing the cards. "But if I'd known, I could've sat her down. Talked to her about it, made sure she knew the risks."

"What you didn't give her the talk?" Vidalia cackled.

"I did but, I don't know, clearly I didn't do a good job of it." Barb shook her head, discarding two of the playing cards in her hand.

"Barb, Sadie is a smart girl, a good, smart, trustworthy girl." Greg told her. "If she says they were safe, then they probably were. Sometimes it just happens."

"You and I both know that." Vidalia remarked, giving Barb a knowing look. Barb chuckled in agreement.

"I never wanted her to go through this." Barb sighed. "I feel like I failed her!"

"Because your nineteen-year old had sex?" Vidalia chuckled.

"Because my nineteen-year old is currently carrying the baby of a high schooler." Barb's tone was icy.

"How'd the kid take it?" Greg questioned, examining his hand. "Must've been a hell of a shock."

"Yeah, Sadie said he took it a little rough." Barb shook her head. "She got pissed because he asked if it was really his." She chuckled a little.

"Is it?" Vidalia questioned.

"So she says, I believe her." Barb nodded. "She really loves the little twerp."

"Does he love her back?" Greg asked curiously.

"I don't know." Barb admitted.

"Well that is potentially problematic." Vidalia said casually.

"Uh, yeah, I'd call that a pretty big problem." Barb rolled her eyes. "You both know how hard it is, raising a baby on your own. I don't want her to go through all of that."

"Don't worry about it right now." Greg shook his head. "Talk her to the doctor, get her checked out and let Lars have a little time."

"Yeah, you're right. Hell, she never even told me how many weeks she is!" Barb realized.

"She might not know." Greg pointed out. "She could be pretty far gone and not have a clue. Better get her to a doctor quick."

"Yeah, I'd hate to see her lose her options because she waited too long." Vidalia commented.

"Options?" Barb cocked an eyebrow.

"Options." Vidalia said again. "Ya know abortion is only legal until…."

"Hey!" Barb cut in angrily. "Let's not use that kind of language, huh?"

"I wasn't suggesting she get one!" Vidalia defended herself. "But, what if she wants one?"

"God, I don't want to think about that." Barb threw her cards to the side.

Sadie and Lars stood awkwardly behind the counter of the Big Donut, too afraid to meet the other's eyes.

"I,uh, I'm sorry I didn't call you this morning." Lars rubbed the back of his neck. "I just figured since I'd see you here anyway…."

"It's okay." Sadie replied softly.

"Oh." Lars dropped his hand to his side.

"Did you, have the time you wanted?" She questioned.

"I….don't know." Lars shook his head.

"If you don't want to stay, I won't stop you from leaving." Sadie told him. "I mean, if you don't want to raise the baby."

"No, no!" Lars said loudly, causing her to jump. "I don't want to leave." He grew quieter.

"Oh." Sadie replied.

"So…does that mean you're keeping it?" Lars asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh….How um, how long…?" Lars stumbled over the words.

"I don't know." Sadie shook her head. "I have an appointment Thursday, they'll be able to tell me."

"Oh, could I….I mean, let me know how that goes." Lars tugged on his hair.

"I will." Sadie promised.

"If I ask to come over later, will your mom castrate me?" Lars eyed her nervously.

"It's a possibility."


	5. Chapter 5

Sadie intently studied the solitaire game she had pulled up on her phone, refusing to look anywhere but the screen. She could already feel the questioning stares coming from all directions of the waiting room, she didn't need to see them. Her face burned as she thought about it, how everyone here knew she must be pregnant…and that she was young enough to have her mother accompany her to the obstetrician.

"Sadie Miller?" She was pulled out of her musings by a nurse, standing in the open doorway leading to the exam rooms. She stood on shaky legs, her mom behind her and made her way to the nurse.

"I'm Sadie." She said in a voice that came out much tenser than she'd intended.

"Hi sweetie, my name is Beth and I'll be your nurse today." She was a perky young girl and Sadie couldn't help but smile at her.

"Hi." Sadie replied shyly. She followed the nurse around the corner, looking to her mother for support. Barb smiled softly, wearily.

"Okay, just hop up on the scale for me." Beth instructed. Sadie complied, shewing her lip as her height and weight were taken. "Four feet and ten inches. You're such a little thing!" Beth commented, much to Sadie's chagrin.

"Should have seen her as a kid." Barb grinned. "She was always this tiny little thing, smallest kid on the playground."

"Perpetually." Sadie complained. Beth laughed, motioning towards one of the small exam rooms.

"Right in here. I'll just get your vitals and then the doctor will be in to see you." She said, busying herself with taking Sadie's pulse and blood pressure.

"How are you feeling?" Barb whispered, pushing Sadie's hair out of her face.

"Scared." Sadie whispered back.

"It's okay." Barb promised.

"Alright, your vitals are all looking good." Beth told her, holding a blue gown. "Just slip this on and the doctor will be in to see you in just a few minutes."

"Oh, okay." Sadie took the gown hesitantly. "Thanks."

Beth gave her a reassuring smile and a wink before leaving Sadie and Barb alone in the room.

"I really don't want to do this." Sadie admitted, stripping off her shirt.

"I know, but it has to be done." Barb shook her head. "It isn't any fun, but it's important."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Sadie said sarcastically.

"It's unfortunately true….internal exams suck." Barb shrugged. "I'll take you out for ice cream after, like we used to do if you were a brave girl during your shots." She laughed. Sadie retaliated by throwing her jeans at her mother's face. Barb caught them, still chuckling.

"Ugh, don't they have a smaller one?" Sadie questioned. She was drowning in the gown, clearly not intended for someone of her short stature. Her mother opened her mouth, no doubt to make a snide reply, but was interrupted by a quick knock on the door.

"Come in." Sadie said, voice wavering. A woman in a doctor's white coat peeked in, then opened the door to enter fully.

"Wanted to make sure you'd had time to change." The woman explained. "My name is Doctor Simon, and you must be Sadie?"

"Oh yeah." Sadie felt her face flush, knowing what was soon to come.

"And you are?" The doctor asked, turning to Barb.

"Barb, I'm Sadie's mother."

"Moral support, excellent." Doctor Simon commented. She sat on a stool by the sink and began clicking around on the room's computer. "Why don't you go ahead and jump up on the exam table for me Sadie?"

"Okay." Sadie wavered, but complied, suddenly feeling a little dizzy with nervousness. She felt like a child, drowning in this massive gown, legs hanging off the edge of the exam table.

"Alright, just a few questions before we get started." Doctor Simon told her. "Do you know how far along you are?"

"Uh, well.." Sadie blushed profusely, glancing toward her mother. "It's hard to say….but I've only missed one period."

"That's okay. Plenty of people come in not sure about that. How may sexual partners?" She asked, deepening Sadie's blush even further.

"Just one." She said.

"Good…" The doctor made a note on the computer. "And have you had any nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite?"

"All of the above." Sadie wrinkled her nose. "I've thrown up three times already."

"Three?" Barb raised an eyebrow curiously, she'd only known about one of these incidents.

"Umm, yeah." Sadie ran her fingers through her hair. "The first time was at work, and then there was a time after you'd already left for work."

"And how bad is the nausea?" The doctor asked.

"Pretty bad." Sadie admitted. "It comes and goes, but at least once a day I feel like I'm gonna puke."

"We'll keep an eye on that, but it's pretty normal." Dr. Simon assured her. "Alright, just let me scrub up and we'll see what's up."

"I'm really kind of…I've never been…" Sadie stuttered, her pulse quickening.

"Never had a pelvic?" Sadie shook her head.

"Is it going to hurt a lot?" She asked quietly.

"Well, I won't lie to you, it probably will. But I'm going to be as gentle as possible honey, and, once we're done, we can have a look at the baby." She smiled at the young girl. "Sound fair?" Sadie nodded eagerly.


	6. Chapter 6

"I just don't see what's so wrong with applying to Delmarva State." Dante argued.

"Dad!" Lars whined. "I don't like Delmarva State." He huffed.

"They don't even have his major, dear." Martha defended her son.

"Thank you!" Lars threw his hands up. He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching his parents sip their coffee.

"That's why you should apply at ECU." Martha teased.

"I've actually been thinking about applying to the branch college." Lars said tentatively, unsure how his parents would react.

"No!" His father immediately protested. "You want to go somewhere bigger, to get the full experience!"

"Well, maybe for his first year?" Martha reasoned. "He could stay at home and save some money."

"Oooor, I could get my own place." Lars said, staring at the floor.

"I know living with your parents isn't ideal," His father started. "But it would be a terrible waste of money to move out when you could just as easily be here. Not that I think this is a good idea!" He added.

"I think it would be good." Lars shrugged. "Ya know, stick around home, keep my job, my friends…"

"Aha!" His father chuckled. "Now we get to the heart of it! It's about the girl!"

"Her name is Sadie." Martha corrected her husband.

"You can't make your decisions based on a high school relationship Laramie." His father insisted.

"I'm not!" Lars argued, knowing it was a lie.

"Lars, we know that you really like this girl but, your father is right." Martha said gently. "We don't want to see you make a choice you'll regret." He paled a little at that.

"Look, I just have to stay here." Lars argued.

"Have to?" Dante looked at him curiously. "Son, you don't have to do anything."

"Is Sadie pressuring you to do this?" Martha asked. "To go to the branch?"

"No, I haven't even mentioned it to her yet." Lars said truthfully.

"Are you sure she's somebody you want to stick around for?" His mother asked gently. "Are you sure this relationship is worth it?"

"He's eighteen!" Dante cut in. "Of course it isn't worth it."

"That's not fair!" Lars argued. "Plenty of people marry their high school sweetheart."

"Marry?!" Dante stood up suddenly. "Just what is this girl trying to railroad you into here?"

"She's not railroading me into anything dad! It was just an example, it's not like I'm out ring shopping." Lars shouted back.

"Don't raise your voice to me." His father shook his head.

"Don't talk about Sadie like that!" Lars countered.

"I just don't understand why you're so caught up with this girl." Dante threw his hands up. "You don't need to stay here for her, if she loves you she'll come visit you at Delmarva State."

"I'm not going to Delmarva State." Lars said tensely. "So fucking drop it, I'm staying here, I'm going to the branch college and I'm getting my own place."

"Fine, you want to base all your decisions around a girlfriend, then far be it for me stop you. I just hope that someday you'll understand that I was just trying to save you from regret." Dante insisted.

"This isn't about me." Lars muttered, putting a hand over his face.

"How can your future not be about you?" Dante asked, thoroughly confused and outraged by his son's behavior.

"Forget it." Lars shook his head.

"No, tell me. What is that supposed to be mean?" Dante took a step towards his son.

"Dad." Lars began in a broken voice. "I really messed up, and I just, I have to stay, I have to do the right thing."

"Lars, what's going on here?" Martha asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Sadie's pregnant, she's pregnant and I have to stay, I can't leave her." Lars admitted, his voice came out hoarse, tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Laramie," Dante began, barely concealing his anger. "Are you sure this girl is pregnant? She's seen a doctor?"

"She's at the doctor now." Lars told them. "She's supposed to call me after."

"So, you don't know for sure that she's pregnant?" Dante asked.

"She seemed pretty sure when she told me. I guess she took a test."

"And if she is, can you be positive that it's yours?"

"She says it's mine."

"She could be lying."

"She would NOT lie to me!" Lars roared.

"Wouldn't she?" Dante screamed back. "You were all set to leave, couldn't even wait! Now this girl suddenly says she's pregnant and got you to stay."

"She isn't lying to me dad! That's ridiculous." Lars threw his hands in the air.

"Lars you've made a lot of mistakes but I honestly don't believe this one." Dante backed away from his son.

"Dad!" Lars shouted, broken. "Mom?" He turned to her.

"Lars, how could you do this?" She asked sadly.

"Well it clearly wasn't planned." He defended himself.

"You've ruined your life." Dante told him.

"That's your opinion." Lars countered.

"Just….just go." Dante motioned towards the door.

"Go where?"

"Anywhere but here!" Dante screeched.

"Sweetheart.." Martha put out a hand towards her husband,

"No, I've put up with a lot from you," He shook a finger at Lars. "But this is the end of it! You love this girl so much? You want this baby? Fine! Then go be with her, but don't come back to this house for sympathy when she breaks your heart!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh wow." Sadie breathed, watching her baby jump around on the black and white screen.

"It's pretty great isn't it?" Dr. Simon smiled at her. "Baby is about six or seven weeks old, does that sound right?"

"Yeah, seven weeks is about right." Sadie nodded with a blush.

"No need to be embarrassed hon." The doctor assured her. "Let's see, everything looks great, baby is developing well."

"So tiny." Barb commented from her spot by Sadie's head.

"About the size of a grape." The doctor nodded. "But he or she already has a teeny tiny little face and fingers."

"That's so cute!" Sadie grinned.

"Isn't it though?" Dr. Simon smiled brightly "Want to hear the heartbeat?"

"Yes, please!" Sadie nodded eagerly. The doctor turned up the volume on the machine and a thunderous noise suddenly filled the room.

"Woah." Sadie said, watching the tiny little baby as she listened.

"Beautiful." Barb said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Just as beautiful as I remember it." She planted a kiss on top of her daughter's head.

"Babies are fantastic." Dr. Simon said. Sadie winced as she adjusted the ultrasound wand inside her. "Sorry sweetie. Just have to find the placenta." She murmured, her eyes trained on the screen.

"Here." Barb offered a hand, which Sadie gratefully squeezed as the doctor continued to move the wand.

"Aha! Here we go." The doctor remarked triumphantly. "A marvelous thing, the placenta, this is what "feeds" the baby, more or less and yours is developing perfectly." She smiled. Sadie let out a shaky breath as the ultrasound wand was slowly removed.

"Alright then, we're done for today." The doctor informed her. "So I'll let you get dressed and then just stop in to the front desk and make a second appointment."

"Okay, thank you so much!" Sadie said, still excited over hearing the baby's heart beating.

"Time for ice cream then." Barb laughed.

"I don't know why you're laughing, we're totally getting ice cream." Sadie said as she pulled her jeans back on under the ridiculously large gown.

"Whatever you want sweetheart."

"Oh come on man!" Lars protested, punching Sour Cream in the arm. "You can't kill your allies!"

"You can when they're in your way!" Sour Cream laughed, his gaze focused on the screen. They were in Sour Cream's living room letting their frustrations out on a ridiculously violent video game. Lars wasn't even sure what it was called, but it felt pretty good to blow shit up.

"I'm home!" Vidalia's voice reached them from the entryway.

"Hey mom!" Sour Cream called back. A minute later his mother appeared in the doorway to the living room.

"Hey Lars, wasn't expecting you to be here." She commented.

"I'm being 'out of my father's sight'," Lars said angrily, shooting a civilian in the head for emphasis.

"Can he crash here tonight?" Her son asked.

"Sure." Vidalia agreed.

"Thanks!." He said, eyes focused on the game. Vidalia left the two boys with a wave and they continued on with their virtual slaughter for a few minutes, before being interrupted by Lars's cell phone ringing.

"It's Sadie." He jumped up from the couch. "I have to take it….uh, in case it's, you know, about work or something."

"Cool." Sour Cream replied as Lars rushed from the room.

"Hey Sadie!" He answered nervously, walking into the kitchen.

"Hi Lars." She chirped back, sounding more like her usual self than he'd heard in a while.

"H-how did it go?" He stammered, not sure what to say.

"It went really well!" She told him. "I got to see the baby and hear the heartbeat." She said excitedly.

"Oh, wow, that's pretty cool." He smiled.

"Anyway, I'm about seven weeks pregnant and the doctor says everything looks fine." She reported.

"Seven weeks." He let out a snort. "Christmas break."

"Yeah." On the other end of the phone Sadie was blushing dark red. "Probably New Year's."

"Ahh, New Years." Lars grinned wickedly, he could hear Sadie's embarrassment in the tone of her voice.

"Shut up! I'm with my mom." She whispered.

"Okay, okay." He relented.

"Hey, I'll call you later okay? We're stopping to eat."

"Oh, okay sure." He nodded, not that she could see. "I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later."

"So…." A voice made Lars jump. He turned to find Vidalia leaning against the wall, arms crossed and smirking.

"Oh…uh, that was Sadie." Lars rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with something plausible to say. "Work stuff."

"Right." Vidalia said sarcastically. "So, what happened with your dad?"

"We….had a disagreement about college stuff." He shrugged.

"What kind of college stuff?" Vidalia pressed.

"He wants me to go to Delmarva State, that's where he went, but I want to go to the ECU branch."

"You're going to stay here?" She clarified. He nodded.

"I just…don't want to leave right now." He told her.

"I'm glad to hear that." She smiled at him. "Barb…told me about Sadie."

"Oh….I,uh." Lars blushed, staring at his feet.

"It's okay." Vidalia stepped forward. She put a hand on his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. "it's probably really scary but it's going to be okay."

"Thanks." Lars gave her a faint smile. "Wait! Sour Cream doesn't know, does he?"

"No! No, that's for you and Sadie to do." Vidalia shook her head. "Barb confided in me, and in Steven's dad, Greg. But neither of us is going to tell anybody."

"That's…really cool of you." Lars told her, surprised.

"Don' mention it…and just so you know, you can stay here as long as you need." Vidalia offered. Before Lars could reply he suddenly found himself swept up into a tight hug. Any other day he would've felt awkward, standing in his friend's kitchen getting bear hugged by his mother. Today though, he just hugged her back, feeling a couple stray tears leak out down his cheeks.


	8. Chapter 8

Lars knocked impatiently on the Miller's front for the fifth time. Sadie had invited him over the night before, but now no one was answering. He was just starting to get worried when his phone buzzed.

 _Use spare key, in bathroom_

He overturned the welcome mat with his toe, bending over to retrieve the key.

"Sadie?" He called as he came in the front door, hesitantly moving down the hall towards the bathroom. He peeked in the open door to find her hunched over the toilet.

"Hey." She smiled at him weakly as he entered.

"Hey, are you alright?" He sank to his knees next to her.

"Yeah, just morning sickness. I think I'm okay now." She stood, still looking a little green and made her way slowly to the sink to brush her teeth.

"Should you be, like, laying down or something?" Lars questioned. This whole pregnancy thing was foreign to him, but based on what her remembered from health class it seemed Sadie was having a rough go of it. She was three and a half months in now and still throwing up multiple times a day. Surely by now she should've started to gain a tiny bit of weight, but it seemed to Lars that she looked tinier every time he saw her.

"Don't be so nervous." Sadie joked, spitting into the sink. She stretched, hands clasped above her head. Lars couldn't help but notice how the movement highlighted the weight she'd lost in the past few weeks.

"When did you say you go back to the doctor?" He stood, placing an arm around her shoulders for fear that she would tip over on her shaky looking legs.

"You go once a month until you get to twenty-eight weeks." She relaxed in to the touch, leaning heavily into his side.

"That long between visits?" His brow creased with worry.

"Lars!" Sadie laughed, "I was just there like two weeks ago and I'm going back in another two."

Lars made a noncommittal noise and pulled her out of the bathroom in to the living room, attempting to settle her on the couch. However, as soon as he turned his back to get her some water she was up again, disappearing down the hall.

"Sadie!" He yelped in frustration.

"Relax!" She complained, reappearing in the living room. "I was just getting my phone. What's your problem?"

"You, just, don't look well." He admitted, running his hand through his hair.

"It's just morning sickness." Sadie rolled her eyes, walking past him to the kitchen.

"Shouldn't it be getting better by now?" Lars trailed after her. "I mean, you're pregnant and you're losing weight."

"Not that much." She defended herself, digging in the cabinets.

"I'm very sure you shouldn't be losing _any_." Lars argued, tugging at his ear.

"I'm going to need you to stop being so paranoid, like, pronto." She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm eating and everything. I've just got bad nausea."

"I'm glad that you're so confident about that." He told her sarcastically. He watched as she continued to pad around the kitchen softly, evidently in search of an acceptable snack.

"I am. Hey, you know what sounds really good right now?" She whirled around to face him.

"A glass of water, some crackers, and a nap?" He teased, raising his eyebrows.

"A pizza."

"You literally just finished throwing up."

"Lars, I seriously want a pizza." She told him, her face stern.

"Sadie, you seriously just threw up." Lars mocked, crossing his arms. "Shouldn't you be eating all healthy and balanced anyways?"

"Lars." Sadie moved to stand directly in front of him, staring up at him with a fierce intensity in her eyes. "I _need_ a pizza."


	9. Chapter 9

Sadie hummed happily, her head resting in Lar's lap. He was idly playing with her hair, a comforting sensation, as they watched the movie. It was something old, Sadie wasn't really sure what, she was too busy dozing to catch the title.

"That British accent is totally unrealistic." Lars groaned. He suddenly lifted Sadie's torso off his lap, stretching his legs out on the table.

"You're strong." Sadie commented idly as he resettled her.

"You're little." He countered. He kicked their empty pizza box out of his way, crossing his ankles, and threaded his fingers through her hair again.

"Mmm." She hummed, nuzzling her cheek against his thighs as he rubbed the back of her neck with his thumb. "That feels really nice."

"No talking during the movie." He pretended to chastise her, but Sadie noticed he didn't stop the slow strokes against her nape, his knuckles dragging against the back of her head. He'd been noticeably more affectionate in the past few weeks, which Sadie assumed was because of her pregnancy. She chose not to dwell on it, it hurt too much to think the only reason he was coming around so much was the baby. Sadie knew that was illogical, she should be thrilled that he was being supportive about the whole thing, or at the very least relieved. But still….

"Lars? Do you love me?" It was an unfair question, she knew it even as she was saying it.

"I don't know." Lars sighed softly, dropping his hand from her neck. Sadie sat up, scooting away from him on the couch.

"Do you want to be with me?"

"Sadie….I really like you." He took one of her small hands in between his two wide palms. "But, you were right, that day you told me you were pregnant. We can't be together just because of that and I'm scared that it will be."

"Did you like me before you knew we were having a baby?" She pulled her hand away.

"Of course! That's kind of how we got in this situation." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing.

"Right, and how do you feel about me with my clothes on?" Sadie sneered sarcastically.

"I like you! I like you, is that what you want to hear?" Lars jumped up off the couch, throwing his arms out wide.

"I don't know!" Sadie shouted back, pulling her knees to her chest. "I just….I'm scared!"

"Scared of what?"

"Of raising this baby alone."

"Sadie," Lars toned softened, his shoulders drooping. "You know I'll never leave you alone. Even if we aren't…together….I want to be around my kid."

"But there's a difference," She looked up at him fiercely. "between raising a baby together and raising a baby _together_." She emphasized each syllable carefully, making her double entendre clear. "Which do you want?"

"What am I supposed to say?" He fisted a hand in his hair.

"You're supposed to tell me what we are!" Sadie shouted, anger renewed. She stood and began pacing the room.

"I don't know what we are! Why am I the one that has to say it?"

"Because I love you, you complete ass!" She grabbed one of the coasters off the coffee table and launched it at his head. "All you have to do is say the word and I would be with you!" She shrieked.

"Sades." Lars dodged the coaster, putting up his hands defensively, trying to calm her. But she was done, the breaking point was behind them and she there was no stopping the rampage now.

"No, no! Don't "Sades" me! Don't even talk to me! Why are you even doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This!" Sadie gestured at the room around them. "With the hanging out and the pizza and the cuddling! Why are you even here? Because you got me knocked up and you think you have to?" She was crying now, the tears dripping hot and fast down her cheeks.

"No!" Lars tried to defend himself.

"No? Then what? Gotta keep your fuck buddy happy until she's too pregnant to be worth it?"

"Fuck Sadie!" Lars shouted, he crossed the room in two wide steps, gripping her arms. "No! Is that really what you think of me? That I only hang around cuz the sex is good?"

"Then why are you here!" She tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Because I love you and I want to be with you!"

"Why the hell would I believe that? Five minutes ago you didn't know!" She tried to shove him away.

"Because I'm a damn idiot who's bad with feelings!" He released her, causing the blonde to stumble back against the wall. "Sadie, I really care about you and not just because of the baby."

She froze, this was it, everything she wanted and she had no idea how to react. The anger had melted out of her body, replaced by a new feeling she couldn't name.

"Sadie?" Lars asked. He reached out to wipe the tears off her face with the heel of his hand. She reached up and bracketed his face with her hands, pulling him down to her and into a hard kiss. He was stiff for a moment, probably in shock at this sudden turn, before putting a hand to the back of her head, deepening their kiss. Sadie moaned against his mouth, she'd missed this. It had been months since he'd kissed her like this and his hand was sliding down her back to cup her butt and….

"Lars." She gasped as he broke the kiss, moving to her neck. This was probably not the way they should end this conversation, she thought, gripping his shoulders. Make-up sex, it was so cliché it made her laugh internally. She thought about stopping him, they had things to talk about, apologize for. But still, the way he was holding her, leaving what she was sure was a line of bright red hickeys on her neck….they could talk in the morning.


	10. Chapter 10

If it was up to Lars, he would have taken her right there on the living room floor but, he'd had no idea where her mother was and he was _not_ risking getting walked in on. So, when he woke up the next morning, it was in her bed, tangled up in the sheets. Sadie was curled up next to him, back to his chest, sleeping contentedly. Idly, Lars reached out to brush his fingertips against her upper arm.

"Hmmm." Sadie blinked her eyes open slowly.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Nah." She rolled onto her back and sat up slowly, pushing her hair out of her face.

"You're so beautiful." Lars told her, tracing a swirled pattern into her thigh.

"Shut up." She scoffed, climbing out of the bed and stretching.

"It's true." He took in the sight of her naked body as she wandered the room, cleaning up their discarded clothes before making her way to the dresser for something clean. She refused to believe it, but he really did find her body stunning, heavy breasts, wide hips and a perfect heart-shaped rear that made him want to cry every time she wore those tight jeggings. Although, he guessed those were going to have to be retired for the next few months.

He almost wished he could tell, see the physical signs of her pregnancy. So far, the only proof of the baby he'd seen were her frequent bouts of morning sickness and the little black and white photo of a barely distinguishable fetus she'd given him after her first doctor's visit. He had to admit a strange sort of excitement at the thought that her body was eventually going to swell and grow round with his baby. It was almost a weird sense of pride he had about the pregnancy.

"Do you have plans today?" Sadie's voice pulled him away from his thoughts. She was pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants to go with her oversized t-shirt, a sure sign that _her_ plans were to lay around the house binge watching Netflix. He could get into that.

"Hanging here with you, if you want." He sat up and stretched lazily, looking for his boxers.

"That sounds nice." She smiled at him as he tugged his clothes on.

"Well, then how about we raid the kitchen and make something to eat. I make killer eggs." He offered, focused on his belt. "Do you know if you have any onions? I could do omelets with…." He stopped, looking up at Sadie's suddenly very pale face. She threw a hand over her mouth and flew across the room, up the stairs.

Lars rushed after her, finding her just where he expected, bent over the toilet retching.

"Okay, no eggs." He said, sinking to the floor behind her, knees bracketing her body. One hand held back her hair while the other slipped under her shirt to make warm circles on her stomach.

"Don't say…eggs." She blanched. "Ungh…" She was gone again, being violently ill into the toilet bowl.

"Easy Sades." Lars tried to soothe her as she heaved. "Deep breaths."

"Ugh." She grimaced, slamming down the toilet lid before flushing the mess. "The pizza was _not_ good coming back up."

"Told you not to get the peppers and sausage." Lars chastised her sarcastically. She threw open the toilet lid again to retch, glaring at him. "Sorry."

They stayed on the bathroom floor for nearly twenty minutes, long after throwing up had turned into miserable sounding dry heaves. In between bouts of sickness Sadie leaned against him heavily, her skin pale and clammy.

"Wanna take a shower." She mumbled, finally standing from her position on the floor. She swayed dangerously and Lars rushed to grab her under the arms in case she fell.

"Maybe you should just sit down and rest for a little while." He suggested, wary at the thought of leaving her alone in a hot shower.

"Noooo." She whined, pulling herself out of his grasp. "I feel disgusting."

"Okay." He sighed. "But don't lock the door? Just in case." She nodded, turning towards the shower.

"Could you maybe make me some tea?" She asked as she adjusted the temperature of the spray. "Peppermint, it's on top of the fridge."

"Sure babe." He reluctantly left her in the bathroom, retreating to the kitchen to make her tea. Barb was there, brewing a pot of strong coffee he could smell before he saw it.

"You're here awfully early on a Sunday." She raised her eyebrows at him, hiding her smirk in the cup of coffee.

"I, uh, I slept here last night." He turned to his task to avoid her gaze, blushing at having been caught.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…..are you, upset?" Lars asked slowly, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"Nah, you're both legal adults. You can make your own choices."

Lars gave her a sheepish look of thanks as he filled the tea kettle.

"Besides," Barb added. "It's not like she's going to get MORE pregnant." She cackled at Lars's blush and sudden fumbling with the silver kettle. "Where's Sadie?"

"She's taking a shower." Lars set the kettle on the stove and began rummaging in the cabinets for a mug, she had a Darth Vader one in here somewhere….

"Did she get sick again?" Barb sighed. Lars nodded, making a face.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad today."

"Gotta get her to mention it to the doctor next time." Barb complained. "Told her too last time and damned if she didn't ignore me."

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Lars mused.

"Talking about me?" Sadie teased, padding into the kitchen in her bathrobe, hair wrapped up in a towel. She hugged Lars's side, still warm and a little damp from her shower. He stretched out an arm around her shoulders to hold her there, dropping a kiss onto her wet, blonde curls. She smelled like flowers and good soap, pressed up against his side like this in the kitchen, there was an oddly domestic feel to it that Lars appreciated in spite of himself.

"All good things. Anyway, I'm off to an emergency staff meeting. See you later hon." She dumped the rest of her coffee down the sink and left the pair with a wave.

"You want some toast or something?" Lars asked, remembering how quickly she'd regained her appetite the day before.

"Maybe just some crackers." She mumbled, pushing wet curls off her forehead.

"Kay, go find something for us to watch and I'll bring them with your tea."

"M'kay." She buried her face in his chest for a moment before removing herself from his side. After a few moments Lars heard the TV click on, Sadie flipping through channels intermittently. Lars had to admit, this kinda morning was something a guy could get used to.


	11. Chapter 11

Sadie hummed along to a catchy pop tune on the radio as she slid trays of donuts into the big glass case built into the counter. She was feeling good today, more like her old self than she had in weeks, and it lifted her spirits considerably. It was a cool, breezy day on the beach which meant that the store was pretty dead. She and Lars had spent their morning ribbing each other good naturedly and watching Netflix on his laptop. It was perfect, the exact kind of day they used to have, back when things were still simple.

"Saddddiiiiiieeeee." Lars called, breaking her out of a daydream. "Earth to Sadie."

"Wha..?" She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if you wanted something to drink." He told her, he was out on the floor, pouring himself a mug of hot water. Presumably for that nasty, bitter black tea he liked to drink.

"Coffee, lots of sugar." She requested, hopping on the stool by the cash register.

"Orrrr, you could have water." Lars shot her a disapproving glance.

"Lars!" Sadie whined.

"Caffeine is bad for the baby." He chastised. "How about some juice?" He crossed to the large cooler that held drinks, examining the selection.

"I don't like juice." Sadie complained. Lars waved away her complaints, reaching into the refrigerator for one of these peach-ginger drinks Sadie wasn't sure why they stocked.

"Here." He plunked it down onto the counter in front of her. "Probably shouldn't drink all of it though, it's pretty sugary."

"Sometime when I'm not pregnant, remind me to beat you up." Sadie mumbled, looking over the bottle.

"Yeah, sure. I'll definitely do that." Lars snorted.

The high pitched ding of the bell on the store's front door drew her attention upwards. It was Steven and his little friend Connie, money in hand and grinning widely.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She smiled brightly at them. They never failed to make her laugh when they came in and she could definitely do with a little humor lately.

"Connie's dad is taking us camping! He sent us to get snacks." Steven explained, holding up some bills.

"Do you have anything with marshmallows?" Connie asked, peering into the case of donuts.

"Nothing like that." Lars shook his head. "But we do have one with graham cracker bits, if you're going for a s'mores feel."

"Yeah!" Connie agreed. "Could we have three of those please?"

"Sure kid." Sadie smiled at Lars's uncharacteristically friendly attitude. She liked to see him being a little softer, more considerate towards the pair of kids that usually drove him nuts.

"We're going to get drinks!" Steven grabbed Connie's arm, dragging her over to the refrigerator while Lars wrapped their donuts in wax paper.

"Don't be so loud." Lars complained. However, it didn't escape Sadie's notice that the complaint was so mumbled the younger teens would never have been able to hear.

"Quit pretending you don't like Steven." Sadie lightly punched him in the arm.

"Catch Sadie!"

Out of the corner of her eye Sadie saw a bright flash of silver flying towards her. She was a moment too late to put her hands out and felt the soda can hit her squarely over the left eye.

"Oof." She gripped the counter in a bid to stay upright on the rickety stool.

"What the hell!" Lars hands were on her face in a second, examining the damage. "You're bleeding!"

"Oh my gosh! Sadie, I'm so sorry!" Steven rushed behind the counter.

"Hey!" Lars put out an arm to hold back the younger boy. "You just stay back."

"Lars, it was an accident." Sadie reached up to feel a large knot forming on her eyebrow. It stung and when she pulled away her finger there was, in fact, blood on her fingertips.

"He threw a fucking metal object at you."

"He threw an aluminum can." Sadie retorted. A napkin was suddenly shoved under her nose by a very distraught looking Connie. She took it gratefully, holding it gently to her face to stem the blood flow.

"What if you need stitches?" Lars complained, brushing the tips of two fingers against her lower eyelid. She hissed at the sharp sting the touch brought.

"We should put some ice on it!" Connie declared. "Do you have an ice machine?"

"In the back." Sadie put a hand on Lars's shoulder, gently pushing him in the direction of the break room.

"I am really sorry Sadie!" Steven told her. "Do you want me to heal it?" The teen suddenly licked his hand and held it out towards her face.

"That's okay Steven!" Sadie leaned back on the stool, trying to get away from him, or rather, his spit.

"Lars seemed really upset." Connie said softly.

"He's okay, he's just really spastic because of the bab….." Again, she was a second too late to save herself.

"Babe?" Steven grinned.

"Baby?" Connie clapped her hands excitedly.

Sadie sighed, knowing she was caught, ad nodded at the young duo. They broke out into excited screams.

"Sadie! You're going to have a baby?" Steven threw his arms around her just as Lars returned with a ziploc bag of ice.

"Cat's out of the bag." She told him with a tiny smile. They had never really talked about how they were going to break the news of her pregnancy and only now did it occur to her that they should have.

"It was going to happen soon anyway." He held the ice to her swelling eye as Connie and Steven flitted around them like overly excited butterflies.

"When is the baby due?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"What will you name it?"

"Are you married now?"

"Steven! You can't ask that."

"Oh, sorry…..But are you?"

"When did you find out?"

"Is it kicking yet?"

Eventually, Lars kicked the pair out of the shop so the he could clean up Sadie's cut and bruised eye before walking her home to explain the situation to Barb. The gentle kissed he placed over the injury before leaving that night sent a shock of pain through her head, but she didn't mind.


	12. Chapter 12

"I'm sorry, you want me to go where with you?" Lars leaned against the kitchen wall, staring at Sadie, who was seated at the island with an armload of information packets and pamphlets.

"Birthing classes." She repeated casually, as if it was just as normal as inviting him out to the movies.

"For what purpose?" He asked, highly unsure about the entire proposition.

"They teach you what to expect during labor." She told him, holding out one of the packets to him. He took it and leafed through its pages, feeling a little skeptical. "And strategies for dealing with the pain. I think that one has a section on like swaddling and diapering and stuff too."

"How hard can it be to put a diaper on?" Lars cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know, I've never actually had to." She admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, what I'm really interested in is the pain management stuff."

"Don't they have meds for that? Like, can't you get an epidural?" Lars questioned, idly skimming the packet.

"I don't want pain medicine." That got his attention. Lars's head snapped up to stare at her.

"Why not?!"

"It has a lot of possible side effects." She defended. "And if you get it then you're tethered to the bed because of all the monitors. Plus, sometimes they work _too_ well and you can't feel the contractions at all…"

"Isn't that kind of the point?" Lars interjected. Labor was supposedly really painful, wasn't it? He didn't want her to suffer if she could be relaxing comfortably on some medicine.

"No." She huffed, starting to get a little defensive in tone. "I don't want medical interventions just because. Only if it's necessary."

"Right, because this is the eighteenth century." Lars argued.

"Because it's better for the baby! Way less women have to get C-sections if they don't get all the interventions at the hospital." Sadie defended. "Childbirth is a natural process, I don't want to mess with that."

"Okay." Lars relented, seeing that his girlfriend was clearly committed to this idea. "What do I have to do for these classes?"

"You'll find out when you get there." She smirked at him. Lars sighed, shoulders drooping. He was calling it now, this was going to be beyond embarrassing.

Barb came home to the sound of vomiting for the third night in a row. Her little girl was bent over in front of the toilet yet again, dry heaving. So here they were, ten o'clock on a random Tuesday night, sitting on the cold tile floor of their bathroom playing scrabble on her cell phone and waiting for the sickness to pass.

"That's so not a word." Sadie laughed as Barb struggled to make a valid combination out of D, X, S, and R.

"Listen here you little vowel hoarding brat." Barb muttered, debating passing the turn.

"Oh! Hey, before I forget, can I use your car tomorrow? I have my 16-week appointment tomorrow." Sadie told her excitedly.

"Ah, I forgot about that." Barb smiled, passing the phone back to her daughter. "Are you going to find out the gender?"

"No, I think I want to wait." Sadie shook her head, focused on the screen in her hand. "Ha!" She held it up in triumph.

"Another round?" Barb asked, taking her cell phone back.

"Nah, I think I'm okay now. I'm gonna take a shower." Sadie stood up slowly. Barb followed, planting a kiss on top of her daughter's head. She pulled the door shut behind her and went out to the kitchen to do the dishes. She had always hated this kind of stuff, the mundane housework that ever seemed to end. But still, someone had to do it, so she scrubbed at the roasting pan until it was sparkling and stacked the dish rack high with plates and bowls.

Twenty minutes later she happily tossed aside the dishrag and went out to the living room to catch up on her shows before bed. Sitting, she saw the tube of cream Sadie had been using on her black eye sitting on the coffee table.

"Must've left it." Barb muttered to herself, reaching out for the tube. "She's gonna want that."

She trudged back down the hall on tired feet, knocking lightly on the bathroom door.

"Sadie?" No response, she knocked a little louder, assuming her daughter couldn't hear her over the spray of water. "Sadie! I've got that stuff for your eye. I'm going to leave it on the counter, okay?"

Again, nothing. Suddenly worried Barb threw open the bathroom door and rushed in.

"Sadie!" The teen was unconscious, lying half in and half out of the shower. Barb rushed to turn off the water and kneeled next to her daughter. "Sadie? Sadie, can you hear me." She lightly tapped at the girl's cheeks trying to elicit a response. Nothing. Now thoroughly panicked, she ran down the hall for her phone to call for help.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Hello, I'm at 1760 Greene Drive, I need an ambulance right away. My daughter, she's passed out. I don't know what happened."

"Okay, Ma'am is your daughter breathing?"

"Yes, yes she's breathing but she won't wake up."

"I'm sending help to your location. Can you tell me how old your daughter is?"

"Nineteen, she's nineteen."

"And does she have any health conditions?"

"No. No, but she's pregnant."

"She's pregnant?"

"Right."

"And how far along is she?"

"Sixteen weeks."

"Alright ma'am, I'll let the paramedics know that. They should be there in just a minute. Can you unlock the front door for them?"

"It's unlocked, please tell them to hurry!"

"I promise you they are going to be there as fast as possible. They're just a few blocks away, okay?"

"Okay."

"What is your daughter's name?"

"Sadie….Sadie Miller."

"Alright. Do you hear the sirens? The paramedics should be outside the house."

"I can hear them, they're outside."

"I'm going to let you go now ma'am, the paramedics will be in momentarily. Okay?"

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

Lars all but leaped out of the car as Vidalia slowed to let him out near the emergency room entrance. The automatic doors were barely fast enough to save him from smacking into it as he rushed into the building, coming to a skidding halt in front of the intake desk.

"An ambulance was supposed to be bringing a girl in to this hospital." He told the very flustered looking nurse. "Her name is Sadie, Sadie Miller?"

"Sir, are you a family member?" She asked, beginning to type away at a computer.

"I'm her boyfriend."

"I'm sorry sir, only family members are allowed into the triage area. Once she's moved to a room I can…"

"No! I need to see her!" He fisted a hand in his hair.

"Sir, hospital policy only allows…"

"Please!" He begged. "We're having a baby. Doesn't that count for something?"

"I can talk to the doctor, what is your name?"

"Lars, Lars Barriga." He stammered.

"Alright, if you can just take a seat I'll get right back to you." The nurse gestured towards an empty waiting area. Reluctantly, he walked over and took a seat.

"Hey!" He looked up to see Vidalia hurrying towards him. "How is she?"

"I don't know, they wouldn't let me back because I'm not family."

"Damn, let me text Barb." Vidalia pulled out her phone and began texting away as Lars fidgeted nervously in his seat.

"Oh my God, what if there's something wrong with the baby?" He rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes, trying to stop tears from forming.

"I know it's hard, but try not to worry. You'll just come up with nightmare scenarios." Vidalia took the seat next to him and put an arm around her shoulders.

"But what if…."

"Stop! We're not going to what if it." She insisted.

"If anything happens to them…" Lars trailed off, getting up to pace the length of the row of chairs.

"You really care about her?" Vidalia looked just a little surprised by his reaction to the situation.

"I love her…and the baby." Lars told her, looking down at his hands, which were fumbling with nothing.

"You're going to be such a great father." Vidalia smiled at him warmly. He blushed a little, hand flying to the back of his neck.

"You think so?" He grinned back at her.

"Yeah, I really do." She assured him. "You're a really sweet guy Lars. Don't worry though, I won't tell anybody." She winked at him.

"Mr. Barriga?" The triage nurse called out to him from the desk. Lars's head whipped around to face her. "They've got her in a room now. 206, right down here." She pointed to a hallway at her left.

"Oh, thank you! Thanks so much!" He waved to her, taking off down the hallway with Vidalia trailing close behind. He spotted Barb sitting next to the door of a room and rushed over.

"How is she? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" He reached out for the door handle only to have Barb grab his arm.

"You can't go in yet. The doctors are looking her over." Barb pulled him away from the door.

"What happened?" Vidalia asked, coming up behind the pair.

"She passed out in the shower." Barb explained. "They said her blood sugar is low and they think she's dehydrated. They've got an IV in and she's getting fluids."

"How's the baby?" Lars wrapped his arms around himself and himself anxiously.

"I don't know. They found a good heartbeat but she's having contractions." Barb shook her head.

"How bad?" Vidalia winced.

"They aren't regular but she's been having them every ten or fifteen minutes." Barb admitted.

"So, what does that mean?" Lars put a hand to his forehead. "They have to have some kind of medicine for that, right?"

"The doctors are pretty sure they'll stop once she gets some fluids back in her system. They've got an OB coming to check her out." Barb promised, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But, Lars" She sighed, "If she goes in to labor this early there's nothing they can do for the baby."

Lars sank to the floor, knees to his chest, and buried his face in his hands.

"I should have made her call the doctor. I knew…I _knew_ something was wrong." He shook his head. "And I didn't do anything! I should've insisted that she…."

"You should've, I should've, She should've. None of that helps her now." Barb interjected. "We've got to stay positive for her, alright? The baby is going to be just fine." She pulled him to his feet. "I know you're scared, I'm scared too. That's fine, but we have to hold it together for her."

"I know." Lars nodded. He turned to Vidalia. "Can you bring me my toothbrush and my phone charger? I want to stay with her."

"Of course. Barb, do you need anything, I've got your spare key."

"Probably just the same, and some clothes for Sadie, for when they let her out." Barb gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks."

"No problem, I'll be back in like forty minutes, tops." Vidalia promised, taking off towards the main lobby.

"Are you really sure she's going to be okay?" Lars cocked an eyebrow at Barb.

"No, hon, I'm really not."


	14. Chapter 14

Sadie took a tiny sip from the straw Lars was holding to her lips. Orange juice, It was cold and wet and sweet in her overly dry mouth.

"Take a little more." Lars urged when she tried to spit out the straw.

"I don't want more." She mumbled, pushing his arms away.

"Just another sip, please." He pressed the straw against her lips until she finally relented and took a small swig. "There you go." He smiled at her, setting the juice to the side. "If you keep that down the doctor says you can have jello."

"Yay." She rolled her eyes at him. He stood from his seat on the hospital bed, laughing.

"Do you want to take a nap?" He offered.

"The nurse will be back five minutes from now." Sadie rolled her eyes. "What's even the point?"

"Come on, just try to shut your eyes." He sat down on the edge of the bed, petting her hair gently. Sadie huffed and rolled her eyes at him but, she did turn to lay on her side. She had almost settled herself when a cramping sensation worked its way down her abdomen and into her pelvis.

"Lars…" She whimpered, holding out her hands. He grabbed them and she squeezed tightly as the contraction built and then slowly released her muscles. She breathed out slowly, rubbing her sore middle with the heel of her hand.

"Almost twenty minutes between contractions." He smiled at her. "That's good."

"I want them to stop." She whined, burying her face in the pillows.

"Me too, babe." Lars whispered.

"I just want the baby to be okay." She sniffed. "If anything happens I…"

"Shh, shh. Just rest, alright? You and the baby are going to be fine." He stroked her hair soothingly as she relaxed in to the pillows.

"I'm sorry for all of this." She sniffed.

"No! Don't say that, this isn't your fault, you were sick."

"You and mom both told me…" Sadie argued.

"Shh!" Lars interrupted. "Don't worry about anything, honey. We're just focusing on getting you and the baby better."

"I'm…"

"Don't say sorry!" Lars pushed aside the small rolling table by her bed and climbed in with her, wiggling his way under the thin blankets. "Just….be here with me." He wrapped his arms tightly around her weak frame and pulled her into his side. She relaxed into his touch, resting her head into the crook of his arm. "Just close your eyes, you're going to be alright."


End file.
